AN: Hey y'all, welcome to my first-ever published fic! I'm really excited to start getting my work out there and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Lloyd pulled his hood back and ducked under the yellow tape blocking the door. He surveyed the trashed convenience store, picking his way through the mess.
The glass door itself had been completely shattered, and the cash register was upended and cleaned out. A group of police officers sat with the three witnesses, trying to get a statement on what happened.
It was a sight he'd become familiar with over the past few weeks.
Lloyd stepped over a fallen shelf of snacks and examined the cashier's stand. Everything valuable was cleaned out- even the Ninjago Lottery tickets were gone. If he had to guess, there wouldn't be any usable prints for the police department to find.
A figure in red hovered at the edge of the stand and Lloyd turned. "Any luck, Kai?"
Kai shook his head, the same frustration Lloyd was feeling evident in the action. "Pretty much the same story- none of our witnesses can remember much about the robbery, let alone anything that can help us identify our perp. Definitely the same MO as the robberies on Main and 23rd."
Lloyd frowned. "I'm not sure mass amnesia can be an MO." He glanced at their other teammate on the scene. "Zane, anything come up on your scans?" he called.
Zane picked his way over the discarded snacks and glass shards. "Nothing that we haven't found at either of the other crime scenes," he said. "I analyzed the security footage as well, and while I can confidently say that this perpetrator is the same as the other two ongoing robbery investigations, the feed offered no new clues as to who the said perpetrator may be."
Lloyd groaned and nodded. "Alright, let's get back to the Bounty and let CSU do their thing; they already agreed to send us anything they turn up. Might as well get the others' input."
His teammates nodded in agreement and they headed for their bikes outside. Within minutes they were speeding back towards the Bounty.
Lloyd tried not to let his frustration get to him, but it wasn't working too well. They'd been involved in these investigations for two weeks, and somehow hadn't gotten any leads.
He knew what his uncle would say when they returned; that he should just leave this to the police. The NPD dealt with stuff like this all the time. Wu would say that Lloyd should have other priorities, like wrapping up the Sons of Garmadon case, and he knew his uncle would be right, but…
He shook his head as he followed the others. Something about the robberies just wasn't adding up.
The others waited for them on deck as they climbed the ladders. "Anything?" Jay asked.
Lloyd shook his head in annoyance. "Somehow this guy is still one step ahead of us."
Cole clapped him on the shoulder. "We'll get him, Lloyd. Don't worry."
Nya nodded in agreement as she took Kai's gear. "He can't hide from us forever."
That night, Lloyd sat at the console on the Bounty, despite being anchored over the monastery for the night. The team needed rest, and he didn't want to bother them.
He rubbed a hand over his face as he played back the footage.
He compared the security videos from today's robbery with the other two investigations. In all three, a masked figure walked into a convenience store. Lloyd never once saw a weapon- instead, whoever was in the store just seemed to freeze, becoming blank-faced and unresponsive.
In each video, the cashier stood back, expressionless, as the masked figure forced open the cash register and cleaned out anything else valuable.
"And if that's not weird enough…" Lloyd muttered to himself, "then you go and do this." He watched as each clip showed the robber finish with the registers, then trash the place on the way out as the witnesses just stood by. Once the robber left, the witnesses seemed to snap back to reality, confusion and fear not uncommon expressions throughout the three videos.
"No signs of resistance," he said. "What the heck is going on?"
"Lloyd?"
He quickly clicked off the feed and turned. "Master Wu! I promise, I was just gonna-"
His uncle shook his head. "I told you, Lloyd, you cannot obsess over these robberies. You have other priorities, and this is a job for the police."
Lloyd sighed. "I know, I know. I just- I feel like something's up. There's something weird going on, and it's not adding up."
Wu rested a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "You've been at this all day, Nephew. Perhaps it is time you take a break."
Lloyd hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah… yeah I guess you're right. Just let me finish up here and I'll be down."
Wu just waited by the rope ladder as Lloyd quickly scanned through the rest of the footage. He watched as it fast-forwarded through the recording. Not too long after the robber left is when the cops came, then him and his team. Night hit, and the crime scene emptied. Lloyd was about to give up and turn the console off when something entered the store.
"What was that?" Wu asked.
Lloyd frowned and rewound the clip. They both watched as the same masked figure snuck back into the crime scene and looked directly at the camera. They held up a sign:
Do I have your attention yet, Ninja?
I am the Master of Soul, and I'm getting bored.
Lloyd's blood ran cold as the figure winked at the camera before walking right back out.
"Still think this is a job for the police?" Lloyd muttered.
Eve wrapped up her two completed commissions and carefully loaded them into her bag. It has been months since her last art commission- well before the Sons of Garmadon had taken over the city. It was nice to have business pick up again.
She locked up her apartment and took the stairs down to the street. The cafe where she was meeting her sister was only a few blocks away. After her lunch with Jade, she'd deliver the paintings.
She headed down the sidewalk, enjoying the sunshine and light breeze. The construction zone across from her building was beginning to pack up, moving to another block that had been destroyed by the Colossus a few months back. She smiled; it would be nice to have some quiet again. Or at least as much quiet as one could get living in the biggest city in Ninjago.
Maybe now that the city was being rebuilt, she'd be able to go back to work soon. She missed her job at the hobby shop and the employee discount that came with it. Cheap art supplies were something she just couldn't say no to. Maybe they'd be able to open again soon.
Eve stopped at a crosswalk and adjusted her bag. The two paintings inside shifted slightly. She checked to see that they were alright and fixed the towel that separated them.
The sign turned to 'walk' and Eve quickly crossed the street. Right as she reached the opposite sidewalk, the hair on her neck rose. She froze and glanced around, certain someone was watching her.
She didn't see anything suspicious, but she tightened her grip on her bag anyway.
The feeling didn't go away as she neared the coffee shop. Unease prickled at her skin and she picked up the pace. She turned a block early, passing through a crowded plaza. She looked in one of the shop windows for a reflection.
Someone bumped into her from behind. "Hey, careful," she muttered, but the hooded figure didn't turn. She noticed too late that it was too warm for a thick jacket like that, especially with the hood-
She gasped. "Hey, that's my bag! Stop!"
The thief took off at a sprint and Eve bolted after them. She dodged around pedestrians, grimacing at the shouted curses behind her. "Sorry! Excuse me, sorry- hey, stop!"
The thief took a hard right into an alleyway and Eve followed close behind. The alley abruptly cut off at a dead end, and the thief came to a halt.
"That's mine," Eve said.
They slowly set the bag down and raised their hands. They turned around, revealing a hard-shelled mask to cover the bottom of their face and short blonde hair peeking out from under their hood. The thief nodded. Their voice was low, but sounded female. "Yeah, I know. That's kind of the point."
"I'm calling the police," Eve said, slightly out of breath.
The thief just shrugged. "Go ahead. I'm not planning on keeping the bag, I was just interested in talking to you, Eve."
Her blood ran cold. "How do you know my name?"
The thief didn't say anything. Instead, she quickly flicked something free of her sleeve and threw it at Eve.
She gasped and instinctively whipped a hand up. A yellow sheen spread from her hand and solidified. The small knife bounced off and clattered to the ground as the sheen disappeared.
The thief raised an eyebrow and clapped. "Oh bravo. I must have gotten lucky, Master of Space."
Eve's head suddenly exploded in pain, and she cried out. "What the hell?"
"I have a proposition for you," the thief said. Her eyes were cold and unyielding.
Eve's ears rang, but she thought she heard something drop behind her. She turned, her eyesight swimming from the sudden migraine.
A figure in a black uniform stood behind her. "Step back and keep your hands where I can see them," he called.
"Ahh, if it isn't the Master of Earth! Good of you to join us," she heard the thief say. "Unfortunately, you're a little late to the party."
Eve glanced back, the pain in her head unrelenting. "What did you do?" she gasped.
The thief simply shrugged and threw Eve's bag back to her. "Speaking of punctuality, I have somewhere to be. Tell the Green Ninja hi from the Master of Soul for me, would you?" She laughed and winked. "Until we meet again, Master of Space."
She took off and scaled the back wall with ease. The pain in Eve's head subsided slightly.
The Ninja stopped beside Eve and pulled his hood back. "Are you okay?"
She nodded and bent to pick up her discarded bag. "Yeah I'm- I'm fine." She hissed in pain as the motion made her dizzy. She opened the bag and groaned in frustration. "She broke both of them- dammit, those paintings took me weeks."
The Ninja frowned. "Holy shi- you're Lloyd's cousin."
She blinked hard, trying to clear her vision. "Mm-hm."
"Are you sure you're okay? You look like you're about to pass out."
Eve was about to insist she was fine when her legs gave out. He reached out to steady her and she felt a flash of embarrassment, despite the pain. She fought the black spots in her vision and could sort of hear him talk into his comms through the ringing in her ears.
"Guys, I need an evac here, we've got a civilian who may need medical attention- Lloyd, she's…"
Eve didn't hear the rest as the dark spots finally won.
Eve shot up in bed, breathing hard. Her pulse raced and she took a few deep breaths to try and get her bearings. She looked around the room, the memory of the mugging coming back to her. Her head still throbbed, but not as bad as earlier.
She frowned at her familiar surroundings- the light yellow comforter, the messy desk tucked in the corner, her own artwork scattered around the room.
She was back at her apartment. How-
"Jade!" She suddenly remembered her coffee date with her younger sister and scrambled out of bed. Her phone screen lit up and she checked it- two texts from her sister, and the date… the mugging was yesterday!
She was about to text Jade back when there was a knock on her bedroom door. She froze.
"Eve? It's me. Are you okay?"
She opened the door. "Lloyd?" She squinted slightly at the bright light in the hall. "How the hell did you get into my apartment?"
Her cousin tried for a small smile. "I used your key. I was worried about you, so I stayed after we brought you here."
She trudged into the living room and sat on the couch. "What happened?"
He sat down on the floor. "I don't know. Cole said he found you at what looked like a mugging. He said you blacked out."
The memories slowly came back to her. "Lloyd, she knew my name, she knew about Space, I-"
Lloyd held up a hand. "Whoa, calm down, okay? Zane said you had a sudden migraine attack, he thinks it could linger. Take it easy." He frowned. "She knew about Space? You haven't used your element at all recently, have you?"
"Well… no, not until yesterday."
He cocked his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Eve sighed. "She threw a knife at me. I just… reacted. I didn't mean to cast a shield, it just sort of happened."
Lloyd cursed under his breath. "So she saw Space. If she knew who you were and knew about Space, she must have gone after you for a reason. She may try again." He paused. "Look, would you be alright coming back to the monastery for a few days? I think there's something bigger going on here than just some robberies and muggings. We may need your help."
"Robberies? Like the one from the other day?"
He nodded. "Cole said that the woman who attacked you called herself the Master of Soul. That ties her to the convenience store robberies. Before, we didn't have a single lead on who might be behind them. But- well, I'll explain everything later, it's kind of a lot." He stood up. "Look, I don't know what's going on. But if she knows about your powers then you're in danger."
She was quiet for a moment.
"I'm really sorry, Eve. I know that you wanted to put the whole Space thing behind you, but I just- you said she knew you. That makes me worried. I'd feel a lot better if you came in for a while."
Eve hesitated, then blew out a breath. "Alright, fine."
AN: Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it. I'd love to hear what you think, feedback would be greatly appreciated. I don't have an update schedule yet but I'm hoping to be at least relatively consistent.
Hope you have a great day :)